Armed Citizen

Charlie Blackmore was driving home around 4 a.m. when he spotted a woman being assaulted along the side of the road. A man had pushed her to the ground and was kicking her repeatedly in the head and stomach. Blackmore stopped his car and ordered the man to stop the attack. The assailant then turned his attention to Blackmore and began approaching him. Thanks to Wisconsin’s new concealed-carry law, Blackmore was able to draw his pistol and hold the suspect at gunpoint until police arrived. The woman was treated for what appeared to be a broken nose and large laceration on her face. (TheBlaze.com, West Allis, WI, 3/15/13)

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Paul Ohle, 69, was at home baking around 9 a.m. when he heard more than a dozen bangs on his front door. By the time he made it to the door, a man had already forced his way inside. The man told Ohle that he needed help, so Ohle picked up his cell phone to call 911. The man grabbed the phone from Ohle and pushed him onto the sofa. He ordered Ohle to stay where he was as he tried to take his television. Ohle struggled with the man, but managed to get to the .38-cal. handgun he kept in his bedroom. Ohle fired multiple rounds killing the intruder. Ohle was later taken to an area hospital where he was treated and released. (Hickory Daily Record, Hickory, NC, 2/26/13)

Lee Heng, 63, was asleep when two suspects allegedly scaled the wall and entered Heng’s second-story apartment through the bathroom window. Heng woke to the sound of his 14-year-old son screaming. Realizing his son was in danger, Heng jumped out of bed and grabbed his gun. The armed intruders confronted Heng and a struggle ensued. Heng fired several shots which caused the men to flee. One suspect suffered fatal gunshot wounds and the second suspect was reportedly still at large. It’s believed that the suspects were attempting to rob the jewelry store Heng runs on the first floor of his home. (TheBlaze.com, Philadelphia, PA, 4/1/13)

Irene Parker, 78, and Beverly Wright, 43, were volunteers walking door-to-door ministering and distributing religious literature just before the Easter holiday. Parker visited one home where a woman answered the door. Before Parker was able to speak to the woman, a large dog lunged forward from inside. The screen door flew open and Parker landed in the yard. Parker could do nothing but try to protect her face as the dog tore at her flesh. Wright, who was just two doors down the street, ran toward Parker in an effort to help. Wright took a baseball bat from the dog’s owner and swung at the dog, but only caused the dog to turn its attention toward her. Wright screamed when the dog attacked. Two blocks away, Mike Harrell could hear the desperate cries for help. Harrell kept a gun in his truck, so he drove to the residence and immediately took action. Harrell fired one shot killing the dog. Parker and Wright suffered severe injuries, but after extensive surgeries both women survived the attack. (Tulsa World, Tulsa, OK, 3/24/13)

A woman was at home when she noticed a vehicle she did not recognize in her driveway. A man she did not know came to her door and began knocking and ringing the doorbell. The woman grabbed her handgun for protection because the man seemed suspicious. Before she could answer the door, the man allegedly kicked it in and entered the woman’s home. Upon seeing the handgun pointed in his direction, the man fled. As he drove away, the woman took a photo of the vehicle with her cell phone. That photo later led to the arrest of the man who had broken into her home. (The Northwest Indiana Times, Merrillville, IN, 3/22/13)

Phibbie Underwood, a 72-year-old woman on oxygen, was home alone when she heard the front door rattle, saw a shadow on the front porch and then heard a loud banging on the window. Underwood retrieved a gun she kept in her bedroom and returned to find a 26-year-old man who had broken the window and gained entry to her home. Underwood ordered the man to get out of her home and leave her alone. Instead the man walked into another room, then walked back toward her. Underwood warned the man to stop and when he didn’t, she pulled the trigger. The gun misfired, so Underwood fired again and missed. The man got down on the floor to avoid being shot. Underwood held the man there until police arrived. (Tribune Chronicle, Youngstown, OH, 3/29/13)